The End
by VampireCat
Summary: A story that starts with an end, leads to a beginning and tells us how the battle isn't over once the war is won. Completed!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: No I don't own Harry Potter! I just borrowed some characters for my story.

**1) The End**

When finally the spells stopped flying through the air on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and all the living Death Eaters were hold captive by the ministry Aurors, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were at Harry's side.

Their friend was laying motionless, eyes closed on the ground still clutching his wand tight in his right hand. Not far away lay its brother next to the remains of the being named Voldemort.

Voldemort was clearly dead, but what about Harry?

Professor Dumbledore and Mad Eye Moody had been fighting on the other side of Hagrid's cabin when they saw the bright light that showed them something must have happened.

Dumbledore immediately tried to get there, he hadn't seen Voldemort arrive nor the duel that had taken place between Voldemort and Harry.

The Headmaster and the Ex-Auror approached the group fast but with caution. Though the fighting had stopped and they were eager to know what happened and even more worried about Harry they knew that his friends would jump at every wrong movement.

Harry had trained his friends well.

Ron drew his wand, he hadn't realized who it was, but Hermione stopped him by laying her hand on his arm. Ron returned to watch his friend. Ginny had Harry's head in her lap and didn't see anything around her. She stroked his forehead and rocked slightly back and fourth.

"Is he alive?" asked Dumbledore while kneeling down next to Harry.

"Barely," Hermione said through clenched teeth as if to keep herself from crying.

Moody took a coin out of his cloak and reached it over to Dumbledore:"Here is the emergency portkey to St. Mungos."

"No, Alastor," Dumbledore said while checking Harry's pulse. "He wouldn't survive that."

"Harry hates going by portkey," Ginny whispered, not stopping her rocking and stroking.

"We will carry him up to the infirmary and let the healers come there."

At this moment another man arrived. Remus Lupin had also been fighting and was now bruised and battered like all of them. He was looking for his best friend's godson. When he saw Harry he started to run towards him and had to be stopped by Moody. If it hadn't been for the approaching full moon there would have been no chance for the old man to stop the werewolf.

"Remus…"

"No, not Harry, no!"

"Remus, listen to me! He is not dead yet. We are going to take him up to the castle as fast as possible."

The werewolf calmed himself a little bit and fell on his knees next to the Headmaster taking Harry's hand. It was horribly cold and white.

"Let me do it."

Remus picked Harry up carefully while Ginny finally started to cry and Hermione and Ron had to help her get up. They walked through the grounds through battlefields and past the bodies of the casualties. Dumbledore had stayed behind a little and walked over to Voldemorts body what had once been his student Tom Riddle and with a pitiful glance he pocketed the wand with the second phoenix feather as its core.


	2. Worries

**2) Worries  
**  
News travel fast. The whole wizarding world knew about the battle that had taken place in Hogwarts. The school was buzzing with worried parents, reporters, Aurors and ministry officials, but all of this didn't matter to the large group up in the Infirmary. Ginny was sitting on Harry's right hand side. Her face was white as she stared at the bandaged hand. When the healers had forced the wand out of Harry's grip they had found the skin underneath badly burned.

Molly Weasley sat next to her daughter not knowing for whom she should worry more, for her little daughter or the boy she loved like one of her own children.

Ron sat with Hermione on the next bed. His girlfriend had her head on his shoulder and her hair tickled him on his nose, but he didn't bother to move it.

Remus Lupin had had a harsh transformation that night. With all the worries for the last of his pack the wolf had raged in the shrieking shack as if trying to get rid of its human host. Neville and Luna now kept him company while he was sleeping in the bed facing Harry's. Neville had hesitated when McGonagall asked him to come. He had enough family unconscious in the hospital already and what he saw up here in the hospital wing was worse then his parents.

All of them had seen people die in this war, but to look at Harry was worse. Though there was no visible damage except his hand. His face was all white and his skin ice cold and damp. He was breathing so barely that if you weren't looking very closely you wouldn't believe that he was really breathing at all.

They had tried to figure out what had happened. What had left Voldemort dead and Harry in this state?

Ever since Harry had known that he would have to fight Voldemort (or as he called him: Tom) he had tried to think of a way to win. His only hope was "the Power the dark Lord knows not", but he couldn't imagine how to work with this power. If it really was love like Dumbledore kept on saying, and if Harry had this power, how could it be used to kill? How could someone be destroyed by love?

The duel only lasted a few minutes, but it had seemed Harry like hours. There had been no time for him to get a different wand, one that would work against Tom's properly. He had used his whole variety of spells and he was drained of the amount of wandless magic he was using.  
Harry was desperate and when hope faded he had done the last thing he wanted to do. He knew he would die that day. Die and leave his friends and the world to Voldemort. He would die because he wasn't prepared enough. But he would at least try to take Voldemort down with him. This was his only chance.

In the last moment before he said the incarnation he thought about how this spell must be worked. Through hate. But Harry felt no hate right now, he was sorry that he had failed.

Love! If he would die today then not while killing with hate, but love. He put all his might, all power, all love together and muttered so that only Voldemort could hear over the sound of battle around them: "Avada Kedavra."


	3. The battle within

**3) The battle within**

Only Ginny, Ron and Hermione had seen what happened next. The three of them had kept the Death Eaters out of Harry's back. They knew there was no other way to help.

It was a loud, buzzing sound followed by a bright white light that came out of Harry's wand. The brother-wands connected but it was different this time. The light went straight up surrounding first the other wand and creeping up Voldemort's arm until the whole body was covered in it. He seemed to be screaming in pain, but there was no sound to be heard except the buzzing of the spell.

Then, quite suddenly the light broke, fell back on Harry and both, Harry and Voldemort collapsed.

From this moment on everything was dark and cold. Harry didn't care. His mind was all confused. It was so cold and the darkness was so total that he saw no chance that there was a possibility that any light could break through it.

Every now and then there would be a word reaching him or he felt his body being moved but he couldn't grasp the meaning of the words nor could he make out who was touching him or why. And he just couldn't see a way to respond.

Harry didn't know that he heard and felt his friends.

They had all settled in the routine to sit at Harry's bedside in turn even when there were classes. At first the adults hadn't want to allow it, but they finally agreed seeing that it helped them cope. And since Luna had brought the Quibbler and announced to her shocked friends that Harry must be bored the silence was broken.

Luna would read the Quibbler, Ginny the Prophet. Ron told Harry news about the Quidditch games and Hermione could be seen reading schoolbooks to him. With the NEWT's approaching for the older friends they would spend the afternoon gathered around Harry's bed, books and parchment spread on the floor and the empty beds around. Now and then there would even be a discussion about one of the subjects, but those wouldn't last long. Harry's part in them was missing. He was usually the one to stop Hermione and Ron from getting into their harmless fights and he was the one curious enough to make them search for another solution than the obvious.

Remus would be at the bedside as often as possible when he was not busy helping to get escaped Death Eaters in custody.

He was always there to help Madame Pomfrey to force potions into Harry to keep his body alive. He was used to the procedure as it was done to him a couple of times when he was young. His father would sit behind him his son's body leaning against his chest, holding the child's arms with his one hand and pressing the head on his shoulder with the other hand so that he had no chance but swallow the often enough disgusting brew. He hadn't have to go through this anymore when he had entered Hogwarts, because having friends, a pack, made the wolf calmer and when the pack was finally able to join him in their animagus forms he hardly ever got hurt anymore. With the development of the wolfsbane potion it got even easier. The last transformation had been actually the first real one for years, there had just been no time for the potion. Severus Snape had other problems at this time, keeping Dumbledore informed of the plans of the remaining Death Eaters and not getting caught as a spy.

Dumbledore was very concerned. He knew that Harry was caught in the hate and the madness that Voldemort had existed of. All of it got transferred to Harry in this last connection as well as all the magical power that Tom Riddle had hold. How would a boy handle such power? If he ever could get out of this at all. The Headmaster had tried to break into Harry's mind to find out what exactly was going on, but even in this state Harry's mental wards were so strong that even a powerful and experienced wizard like himself couldn't get trough.

What Dumbledore didn't know was that Harry had sensed his presence and pushed him out. He didn't want anyone to see how his mind was all messed up. He was confused by the thoughts that ran through his mind. He had visions of hate, blood he felt his power rise and he knew that it was Voldemorts doing. He wanted to get rid of it, end it. Why didn't he die? Why was he still alive? Or wasn't he? How could he be sure?

If he was dead why wasn't he with his parents yet? He wanted to be with them and tell Sirius that he was sorry he had him killed. Something inside him said: "Then just end it!" And Harry tried.

His breathing got unsteady and the worried teenagers were banned under protest from his bedside. Dumbledore didn't want to let them see Harry die. Remus held Harry in his arms, talked to him, prayed but he couldn't reach the boys consciousness.

"Don't Harry," whispered someone. It did not sound like one voice, but a couple of voices mixed together but as if they didn't start to speak at once. It was hard to make out what they were saying at all.

"Who is there?" thought Harry. He couldn't see anyone yet he felt presence. It felt warm and comfortable.

"Don't leave them alone, they need you!"

A thought struck Harry:"Mum, Dad, Sirius?"

No answer. The presence left and with it the nice feeling. The pain came back and the cold.

"No! Don't leave me! Don't go please!"

Remus was struggling to hold the boy on the bed as spasm started. There was clearly a fight going on in this body and Remus just hoped life would win.

But Harry wasn't fighting for life, he desperately wished to die to end all that pain.

An icy cold took hold of his body. He felt like he had gone outside the castle walls on a winter's day totally naked. The coldness was creeping through his veins from his toes to his fingertips. Was that how it felt to die? Was that the end? Why had he never asked one of the ghosts if that was how it felt? Or did he ask and had forgotten about it? He could no longer remember. He only wished for the cold to vanish, for him to die. He was ready, as ready as could be. He wished to leave it all behind, flee from his visions, his nightmares even his dreams. He wanted his mind to go blank.

But from somewhere, like from a faraway distance he felt warmth reaching out for him. Someone must have taken his hand, he could still feel it. And still the coldness had a dreadful grip of his heart and he wished for the warmth to go and let the cold take him to a place he would finally meet his parents, Sirius again. He longed to be with them.

"Harry." The sole word invaded his mind.

That had been him once, had it not? But he wasn't him no longer. Harry had already died. He was Tom now, Tom was him. They had connected, had become one. Tom had always been a part of him since his childhood days but now Tom had consumed him to the full. He was filling his every cell.

"Harry. " It sounded more pleading now as the name resounded in his head. Had Harry not always been a fighter? Was he to fight now? He didn't know.

Images began spinning through his head. Images of Tom down by Hagrid's hut. Images of a white light. But intertwined with these were images of other people, people with red hair, people with white or brown hair, people that smiled at him. Was he going to give that up?

Then there it was again, the warm presence he had felt before. They were back. Were they there to get him? He would let go now if only he could follow them. But as soon as it appeared, it was gone leaving behind only the warmth he could feel in his hand. It felt more intense now.

Maybe that was what he had been searching for. Maybe it was time to fight the cold and give way to the warmth.

Remus took Harry's hand, the uninjured one. He clung to it. He talked to him. He would not let him go. This could not be.

"Harry fight," he tried persuading his friend's son.

But with the time passing his order became a desperate bargain as he repeated the boy's name over and over.

It took a moment for the man to realize the change going on in the boy in front of him. His hopes rising he began rubbing the hand he still held in both of his. So without knowing Remus helped Harry banishing the cold.

Only moments after that Harry began crying out names. The boy was not moving at all, but the sound of the names made the werewolf realize the fight that was going on in the boy's body and mind.

Hearing their names being called the friends who had waited outside the door after their ban from the hospital wing immediately rushed back in and gathered by Harry's side, silently witnessing the inner fight.

Tears were rolling down Ginny's checks for the look of it.

After the longest moments of their lives Harry finally calmed down, some of his lively warmth having returned to his skin.

It was Ginny who first realized another change for the worse. Harry's breathing got unsteady and his body got stiff. Though he felt still cold he would sweat like in high fever. The healer didn't know what to do and they suggested to just letting him die.

But Dumbledore was sure the boy was still fighting. The friends didn't know if it helped at all, but they tried everything they could think of to keep him alive. Every day it seemed that it would be the last. And then, when it looked like it had all been in vain, Harry started breathing normally. His skin turned to a healthier shade and he seemed like he was just sleeping, but he wasn't. He was drifting in and out of consciousness. One day he witnessed the procedure of being fed. The potion was gross. He felt thankful when he heard Remus say:

"One day, Poppy. One day this patient here will spit the brew all over you."

"It keeps him alive. He doesn't care how it tastes."

He heard Poppy leave and Remus held him for a little while longer.

"How would she know, cup?"

Cup? That was the first time Remus had called him this, or was it not? He had known him as a baby, so maybe it was his pet name! He had a pet name! He promised himself that as soon as he could he would give Remus a sign.

Days passed, but his mind wasn't awake enough to really understand any conversation. He was grateful though for their constant presence.

One morning he felt new strength. This would be the day. He would show Remus that he was a marauder.

"Lets get over with this before you tell me again how to make my job."

Harry chuckled inwardly what Remus didn't realize because he was getting him into the right position.

As soon as there was a fair amount of the potion in his mouth he spit it all in the direction he was expecting the school nurse and at the next moment he was nearly choking on the bit that got into his throat anyway. Remus was slapping his back while Madam Pomfrey got some water for him. It was difficult to drink something while being hugged by Remus and laughing about the mess he had made. Poppy was sprinkled with her own remedy and the smell was horrible.

Madame Pomfrey went to get the Headmaster when she was sure that her patient was all right.

"So you were listening, weren't you? Hello, there. We were worried."

Remus had placed Harry back on the bed and put his glasses on looking in his eyes.

"Hi …Moony… sorry." It was hard to speak as he hadn't for a long time.

"What ever would you be sorry for?"

"Worried …you…all…failed." Tears were running down his cheeks by now.

"What makes you think you failed?"

"V…V." it was getting harder.

"Voldemort is dead, Harry."

With wide eyes he stared at Remus as if to see if the werewolf was lying.

"Tom is dead?" he whispered but it wasn't Remus who answered.

"Yes, Harry. Tom is really gone." To prove it the Headmaster handed the wand that killed the boy's parents, Cedric and a lot of others over to him. Harry took it.


	4. Awake

**4) Awake**

He must have fallen asleep. Asleep for the first time after his victory over Voldemort. The first not potion induced dreamless sleep since Sirius died. No nightmares.

"Do you really think he was awake? They wouldn't just say it?"

"No, Remus wouldn't do that to us."

"Will you two be quiet, you will wake him," hushed Mrs Weasley from the other side of his bed.

"Too…late…thanks, anyways."

"Harry!"

Uff.

"Don't you suffocate my best friend, Hermione. You never throw yourself onto me that way I should be jealous." Ron had gotten Harry's glasses from somewhere and reached them over.

"So nice to have you back."

After a while Mrs. Weasley send Ron and Hermione for lunch and to tell the others. Harry was thankful for the moment of silence.

But silence makes you think and what he was thinking about made him cry.

"Tell me Harry, I know I am not your mother, but you have to know that you can tell me everything. I know there is something going on with you. Please don't let it eat you from the inside, talk to me."

She held him tightly.

Finally he found the words to tell her.

"I waited for them. I…I wanted to tell them… but they didn't come."

"Who, Harry?"

"My p…parents. S…Sirius."

Mrs Weasley waited one moment before she said anything.

"It was not your time to die, Harry. What if they showed themselves? Would you have returned to us?"

Harry didn't answer. He doubted it.

"They love you and they are with you, but they want you to live. What meaning would their death have had if you weren't able to start a life of your own?"

"Why did they have to die at all? It was me, my fault."

"No, Harry, no. It was not your fault! Listen to me, it was never your fault, you were a baby and you are not the reason Tom Riddle turned out that way."

"Believe me, they are watching over you and they are proud of what you have become."

"Proud? No, I don't think they are proud that their son is a murderer." Harry looked down at his hands.

"Harry, this was war! And if you had had another chance you would have taken it. And they know it too!" Molly said taking his hands in hers, trying to calm the boy.

"Look at what you have achieved, look at how many didn't die because of you."

"What do you mean, Mrs Weasley?"

"The students. They were able to escape because you trained them. They were out of the way and in safety right after the battle started. Neville and Luna had them all under control, kept them calm.  
If it hadn't been for you there would have been more casualties, I am sure of that."

She was right in a way, though it had been Hermione's plan that whatever happened, those two would bring the younger students to the castle. As they were not the best in battle situation they had prepared themselves for this task, even figured out a way to get them all out in case the castle fell in the hands of the Death Eaters.

Neville had actually taken two Death Eaters down who tried to follow them.

The teenagers returned and though Harry was still quiet, absorbed in his own thoughts, Molly knew that he would sort it out.

A few days later all of Harry's friends were studying in the hospital wing again.

Neville played with the wand he had picked up from Harry's nightstand. Harry saw it out of the corner of his eyes and grinned.

"You know whose wand that is, do you?"

"Isn't it yours?"

"No, I have mine here. Why don't you try that one before I tell you about it?"

Ron and Hermione were listening closely. Hermione was wondering what Harry was playing at.

"What should I do?" Neville looked around.

"Try a patronus," Harry suggested.

"I was never able to conjure a patronus. How could I do it with a different wand?"

"Well it is a powerful one and I think it would suite you. You underestimate yourself too much. I would give the wand to you if you can work with it. I would like to give it into hands I trust to never point it at me. It is Voldemort's wand."

"What?" came from all of the friends and Neville's hand was shaking as he tried not to drop the wand in fear that it might go off.

"B…but I…I am not powerful…"

"Neville, you are more powerful than you think. Has Dumbledore told you about the prophecy?"

"The one I smashed?"

"Yep, this one. Dumbledore knew it. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies… "

The room was silent. The friends stared at Harry, confused and in Hermione's case with horror. Harry knew she had understood, but this was not about his part.

"Since when did you know?" Hermione was shaking.

"It is not about me now Hermione, we can talk about it later. It is about Neville and how powerful he really is."

"Talk about it later? No, we talk about it now! You knew you had to kill Voldemort and we weren't worth to know about it?"

"Hermione…"

"Do not…!"

"Hermione!" Ron interrupted and pulled his girlfriend back on the bed. "Harry will tell us, but not right now."

Hermione snorted and sat down with crossed arms.

Neville was confused. "What has that to do with me?"

"Don't you understand, it could have been you! You could be at my place. If Voldemort had chosen you, the pureblood, you would have been the one to kill him. You are powerful, Neville, very! You just never found out. Try it!"

Neville was staring at Harry and then at the wand in his hand. He closed his eyes and whispered: "Expecto Patronum."

A white eagle erupted out of the tip of the wand just to dissolve right away. But it had been there.

"You will do fine on your NEWT's Neville. I want you to keep the wand. As I said I trust it to you."

After he thought about it for a moment Neville pocketed the wand without another word.

Harry turned to Hermione. "If I had told you about the prophecy you would have been a target for Voldemort even more then just for being my friend."

"When did you found out?"

"After Sirius died."

"You hid that for two years?" She was looking at him wide eyed.

"I had to, it was the only advantage I had because Voldemort didn't know the whole prophecy."

"Oh Harry!" To his surprise he found himself hugged by Hermione who was crying. He looked at Ron for help, but his friend shrugged smiling.

After this outburst they went back to studying until Ginny came from her last lesson for the day. She was exhausted and said that if she saw one more book she would scream. Even Hermione had enough and they just sat talking.

Ron pointed at Harry's hand. "Does it hurt?"

"No," said Harry studying the scarred skin. Madame Pomfrey had said that at least the pink colour would vanish eventually.

"Not, anymore."

Ron grinned. "It's a good thing you don't have Divination anymore, though. Can you imagine what Trelawney would make out of this?"

Hermione frowned at his silliness, but Ginny who had taken Divination just for the fun of it took Harry's hand, started to squint and predicted in a misty tone:

"Your future is dark, poor child, death awaits you around every corner and, hell there are a lot of corners here…" she traced the lines of his hand carefully with her finger then she held his hand closer to her eyes as if she was studying it very closely. "But wait! What's this?"  
She looked him in the eyes and smirked while the others were laughing hard. "Are you really wearing pink boxers?"

It would be very nice to recieve any (!) kind of review!

Thank you


	5. The Plan

**5) The Plan**

"I want you to do me a favour."

Ginny took her favourite spot on the end of his bed and shoved a chocolate frog into her mouth before answering.

"Why do I have the feeling that I should say no before you say what you want? Will I get myself in trouble with Hermione?" she smirked.

"Probably."

"Shoot."

"Well, I am planning to take my NEWT's next week."

"No, Harry. Absolutely, no way! You are crazy! Dumbledore told you that you could take them next year with Luna and me. You have time! Rest! They are called "exhausting" for a reason! You are barely able to walk to the bathroom and back by yourself."

"True, that's why I need your help."

Ginny got it wrong by purpose and giggled.

"To go to the bathroom?"

Harry rolled his eyes, he was being serious.

"I know it will be a hard day, but what harm would it do? I have planned it all out. After breakfast there will be the written exams and I won't need to walk during that. Only mind work there. Then there will be a two hour lunch break. I can sleep a little then… "

"And there is the flaw, dear Harry Potter. Until you are up in bed here or up in the tower it will be time to go down again for the practical."

Harry ignored the interruption.

"Except Defence they test no class outside of the Great Hall and that will be my last so I can go to bed right afterwards for the next three weeks."

"You really are nuts." Ginny wasn't convinced at all.

"Please!"

"Please, what? What will be my part?"

"I will probably need your help to get out of here and down to the Great Hall."

"Ohh."

It took al lot of reasoning, but Harry finally convinced Ginny. He knew he could trust her not to tell on him.

Hermione was delighted that Harry started to study with them though she thought he was just interested.


	6. Newts

**Now anonymus reviews possible! Sorry Annemarie! Have fun!**

6) NEWT's

By the end of the day Harry knew why they were called "Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests". Ginny had been right, but she couldn't have known what would happen.

They had to face Hermione's anger first thing in the morning.

Sneaking out of the hospital wing had been easy due to a couple of puking first years, who Ginny had bribed into taking some of Fred and Georges Puking Pastills.

Then they had taken a secret passageway down to the third floor and used the confusion caused by a completely new trickstep (Dobby had been delighted to help his hero here), and they got past a revolting Filch with the help of a certain Poltergeist.

The Great Hall was already filled with students when the two arrived because Harry had to take a rest behind a statue. This had earned him a "Told you so!" from Ginny.

Hermione had actually been looking for Ginny when they walked in. One student saw them and told it to his neighbours and the hall was quiet within seconds.

Due to the upcoming NEWT's the High Table was crowded. Not only the Hogwarts professors but the Ministry examiners were staring at Harry wide eyed.

Whisper broke out. And if Harry hadn't seen the fuming Hermione approaching he would have rolled his eyes at that.

"Harry Potter!" Not only Harry was reminded of a certain howler. "Why are you not in your bed? You are not well enough to be down here yet!"

"Hermione!" Harry tried to calm her, he was a little embarrassed. This in front of the whole school! But Hermione turned to Ginny as if he wasn't really there.

"Ginny, how could you! He was half dead! I thought you would care more for him than that!"

Ginny blushed. Professor McGonagall saved her.

"Mrs. Granger! Will you please keep it down!" She turned to Harry. "I am very happy to see that you are so much better, but I think Poppy's breakfast isn't that bad and I agree with Mrs Granger that it might be a little risky…"

"Thank you Professor but I have had breakfast, that's not what I am here for."

"You could have wished your friends luck yesterday."

Harry was smiling broadly at his favourite teacher.

"I did that, Professor."

"Then why are you here?"

"Well I guess I am here to take my NEWT's."

Ron was actually abandoning his breakfast what was near a miracle.

"You really have no temperature? Cause you could take my tests if you really have to!"

The Professor looked at him sternly and he rather shut up.

"Note, Mr Potter that you can't take the tests again next year if you fail. I would advice you to rethink your decision."

Harry shook his head. "No Professor, I will be graduating with my friends. I will not let Tom interfere with my life anymore." And he sat down next to Ron to wait for the exams to start.

Professor McGonagall shot a help seeking glance to Dumbledore who, to her disappointment, smiled and nodded.

Harry sat down at his table when the younger students had cleared the Great Hall and the desks appeared like they had for their OWLs. When Ginny had walked out she had given Harry a kiss on his cheek in front of the whole school! Harry blushed. He still felt the warmth on the spot her lips had touched when he turned the first page. Then he was all consumed in his exams.

It was not easy, but he thought he did fairly well. By the time for lunch Neville was sweating, Ron groaning and Hermione babbling about her answers.

"Hermione, it's done. Let's eat and get this day over with."

"You, be quiet. I'll have a word with you later, believe me," she threatened him with her fork.

Ginny had been right about not getting any rest after lunch and so when his final exam approached he was quite tired.

They had been separated into groups of four students, one of each house.

Harry wasn't with his friends and he had the bad luck to be in the last group to be tested.

They were waiting in one room and were called into another, one group after the other. No group came out so they had no way to find out what was awaiting them.

Ron had been gone with one of the first groups for quite some time and Hermione just went in when the entrance door opened for one moment.

No one except Harry, who was sitting away from the others, really noticed. He had seen the knob turn so there must be someone invisible, he prepared himself for an attack.

When he felt a familiar tuck on his robes he asked: "Ron?"

"Harry, you will have to duel. Nothing bad actually, quite fun," the air whispered back.

"You are here to tell me that?" Harry looked around for the Professor that was having an eye on the students. But as there were lots of others whispering to themselves he wouldn't look suspicious.

"No, listen! There is this one examiner, there are three actually, but he is kind of strange. I have a bad feeling about him so please be careful." It sounded worried.

The last but one group went in and it would have looked suspicious if he had stayed on his own, so he got up, nodded to Ron that he understood and joined his group.

The only other person of his group that he knew a little was Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff. She had been in the DA and they exchanged a smile when they saw the duelling area in the set up classroom.

They had to say their names and houses and the examiners, two men and a woman, introduced themselves. Then the woman read the rules. She must have been doing this all afternoon because of her bored tone.

"The Exam consists of a formal duel between the tested and one examiner. There will be Hufflepuff first, then Slytherin, and Ravenclaw, with Gryffindor at the end. No cheating, no illegals, no Unforgivables. Any questions? No? Sign here."

Hannah sighed when she stepped up as the first but she did well against her opponent who wasn't really fighting her, but tried to get as much out of her as she was able to do. Harry couldn't say what Ron had meant.

"Well done Miss Abbot, next please."

The Slytherin was dreadful and lost his wand twice before the examiner ended the duel. Harry could have sworn that the female examiner shook her head slightly while taking notes. The Ravenclaw boy did well enough.

When Harry stepped up he noticed to his surprise that the other male examiner gave his papers to the one who had been duelling the others and stepped up the platform.

"Bow!" said the woman and Harry just wanted to do this as he felt shields being drawn around the platform. He looked at the man in front him sensing danger. The others seemed not to notice.

"Bow, Mr Potter. This is a formal duel, you know?" his opponent smirked and Harry got angry and took a guess what this was all about.

"I never did to your Master on my own free will, so you will have to force me."

Before the others even realized what was going on the fighting started. The shield was blocking the other examiners to interfere but it also blocked curses from being fired at the onlookers. So Harry needed not to worry about them at the moment what he was thankful for because there was more than one Cruciatus he had to dodge or block.

All the normal entrances to the room were blocked as Hannah realized horrified. She couldn't get out for help!

But what she didn't know was that there was already someone on his way to Dumbledore. Ron had snuck in with the group just for the fun of looking at Harry's skills and because of the bad feeling he had had. As soon as he saw what was going to happen he had opened the Marauders Map to find the next possible way out.

The Death Eater was not a bad dueller at all, but he wasn't Voldemort either. The only thing he could do was tire Harry out. And tired he was by now. Tired and pissed off. His body ached for a rest.

'Well,' Harry thought. 'She said nothing illegal but she didn't rule out wandless magic, right?' Harry's plan was to take the man down in surprise. So he just dropped his wand.

"Ha, Potter! Not so great now, are we? You don't get off so easy."

Harry just smiled at him.

The Death Eater raised his wand but halfway though the killing curse he got hit by Harry's stunner. Harry had overdone it a bit as his enemy not only dropped to the ground, but flew into the next wall. The shield fell and Harry realized the amount of people in the room. Ron and Hermione were at Harry's side almost immediately to help him sit down right were he was. He was exhausted.

"Hey mate, you all right?" Harry only nodded. He watched the school nurse help the female examiner that had fainted. A couple of Aurors were busy with the Death Eater. The Headmaster was talking to one of them, then came over and kneeled next to him.

"Harry, Auror Clay asks you to lift your stunner as he can't break through."

Harry wasn't really paying any attention and simply waved his hand over his shoulder, reviving the man.

He didn't realize Dumbledore's raised eyebrow nor the shocked looks from the Aurors and the leftover examiner.


	7. The Beginning

Final chapter! Thanks again Reni-Maniac for beta reading!

7) **The Beginning**

On graduation day the incident at the tests was nearly forgotten, well by Harry anyways. The outside world was going on about lack of security and how heroic Harry had been.

"Black, black! Why do we have to wear black? I am graduating, not attending a funeral! I'd even wear green. What do you think would McGonagall say if I changed into something nicer?" Harry was standing in front of the mirror in the boys' dormitory. Ron was struggling with his tie looking like he wanted to strangle himself. Harry was a little jealous of him because of the colourful robe his friend was aloud to wear. As Ron was the head boy he was wearing a robe in the house colours he was also going to have to hold a speech this evening so maybe Harry was not that jealous.

Harry still looked rather pail and skinny, but it was no comparison for the day he had arrived at Hogwarts at age eleven. He had grown a lot. His hair was still unruly but his glasses were new and had a more modern look.

Ron was still taller than Harry, what he recognised with a smirk as he joined his friend.

"Just tradition. Fred and George had actually planned some changes for their graduation. Good that they didn't have a chance. Mum would have killed them. You coming?"

Parents and family of the graduating students were invited for the ceremony. Harry had invited Remus and Tonks because he was sure the Dursleys would not have been interested. He was sure that the whole Weasley clan would turn up (except Percy who was still missing) and a lot of press.

They met with the others downstairs (Hermione had to redo Ron's tie). Ginny was already with her parents. Only the 7th years were in the corridors at the moment. They met the other houses in the room next to the Great Hall were the first years always had to wait for their sorting.

Harry was nervous. So were all the others.

What would the future hold for them? This was their last day of school. The last time for Harry at the place that was more his home than the house he grew up in. What was waiting for him? Harry felt that he had no real way in life.

In the Great Hall there was talking and clapping and laughing to be heard once in a while.

When the doors finally opened they faced the festive Great Hall. The tables had vanished and there were chairs filled with families. The graduates had to walk down the aisle and stopped then in front of the audience.

As head boy Ron took his place behind the speaker's podium. Harry was curious on what he was going to say because he made a huge secret out of it, not even letting Hermione know.

He sorted through the papers, and sorted some more until Hermione cleared her throat and he sighed and let the parchments vanish. It was a neat little wandless trick that he had asked Harry to show him. Harry chuckled.

"Äh…well. We're done. There is not very much more to say as we are all waiting desperately for our scores I want to make this as short as possible especially for my girlfriend who probably passed with something about four hundred percent. There also is a certain someone I planned to mention but I am sworn not and I really don't want to risk a duel with him so I won't." Everyone laughed as Harry and Ron smirked at each other. "I just wanted to thank you for being my friend and for Hermione thanks for pushing me to do my homework once in a while." Again laughs and a frown from Hermione.

"Hogwarts should have prepared us for the tasks ahead, but I get the feeling that the greatest task does already lie behind us. I get the feeling that adult life will be pretty boring." He started counting on his fingers. "No giant chess sets, spiders…" he shudders by the thought alone and everyone that knows Ron laughed. "…basilisks, dragons, no innocent escaped convict, dementors, no Umbrige, no more Potions classes and no Voldemort, wait…!" he paused and scratched his head. "…I think I'll rather enjoy this. Thanks for the patience."

Ron stepped down, everyone was clapping and cheering. Molly Weasley had hid her face behind a handkerchief halfway through the speech and Harry wasn't sure if she was crying out of pride or because of laughing so hard.

The headgirl was next but Harry wasn't paying attention anymore. Ron's speech had left him thinking. For the first time he realized that Voldemort was indeed gone! He was free of the thread and left to do what ever he wanted! No matter what his NEWT's were like he was going to live with it. Well he would never ever be "Just Harry" he was just too popular and too powerful. But having a choice was the closest he could get. This graduation suddenly didn't seem to him as the end of his youth. It was the start of his life. A new beginning.

**The end (of the story)!**


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